Pasta replacements

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  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    I have tried pasta substitutes mentioned above and still eat them occasionally but they are not that satisying.

    I usually make 2-3 oz of Barilla protein plus or lentil pasta with spicy red sauce and a bunch of veggies. Portobello mushrooms are low in calories and very satisfying.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited March 2019
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    Spaghetti squash is good.

    Mostly I realized that why I love pasta is the toppings, so I stick to a serving size or less (sometimes half) and have lots of toppings (sauce or what not).
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    jdog022 wrote: »
    inherentst0rm wrote: »
    I wanted pasta so bad the other day do I just spent a bit more time doing cardio to earn it. Worked okay but I thought replacing then sometimes would be good too

    I don’t understand. pasta is like 200 calories. Half cup sauce maybe 70 cals tops. Your having trouble fitting that in?

    Eh... who eats 1 cup/serving of pasta!! Lol.
    Not me:)
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    ^^ 280 calories for 4 oz serving dry weight. Nobody but a person on a binge would need more than 4oz dry.
  • lechesucio
    lechesucio Posts: 29 Member
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    Shirataki noodles all the way! You can find them in the produce section in the little refrigerator area. Nasoya is the brand I buy - they have fettuccine and spaghetti types. I followed some online advice to first drain them in a colander and then rinse with vinegar, then water. Then pan fry them til they 'squeak'. This gets rid of any weird smell that turns some people off. The texture is perfect, the taste was just like regular pasta. This is coming from a girl who used to eat a whole box of pasta on the reg.

    Best part - 4g carbs for exactly HALF the bag. So you technically could eat the whole bag yourself!
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    The OP wants pasta, not fake pasta. As I told him, eat it or "mangia, mangia" and just work with remaining calories budget to get his goals accomplished.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Chickpea, lentil and pea pastas taste more like pastas than most of the other "substitutes" folks have mentioned, and have materially more protein, so it can be easier to fit them in, depending on nutritional needs.

    I find them to have a little flatter taste than wheat pasta, but a similar texture. With a flavorful sauce, the flatter taste is fine with me. YMMV.

    There are also soy and black bean pastas that are much higher in protein (usually well over 20g for a 2oz (dry weight) serving). These have a less wheat-pasta-like texture, usually more chewy. I personally don't care for them in tomato or cheese sauces, but enjoy them as the noodle component in a pseudo-Asian prep (peanut sauce, chili sauce, stir fry, that sort of thing).

    ^This, except the flatter taste of those other pastas isn't an issue for me (comparatively) since wheat pasta isn't an option thanks to celiac disease. The Banza brand of chickpea pasta has added pea protein so has a higher amount of protein than other chickpea pastas.

    I've come to prefer roasted cherry tomatoes as a "sauce", finding them far more flavorful, and often add in other roasted veggies as well. Toss those veggies, some pasta water, and a few grams of romano or parmesan cheese, and I find it makes a very satisfying meal.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    Whole wheat pasta. Has tons of fiber and you get full with less. Plus overall healthier.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    It is disheartening to see the basic premise of calorie counting so easily dismissed. What I mean is that the therapeutic benefit of calorie counting is self-training, not losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. but, anyone can gain it all back plus some more. What lasts is making proper portion size decisions at the time of food preparation.

    To me, that is what eating fake pasta is all about. Not eating less, just eating less calories. Old habits, new calorie totals.
  • obeaner2
    obeaner2 Posts: 10 Member
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    Italian here! I have been loving the Explore Cuisine Edamane and Mung Bean fettuccini or Black Bean pasta. Yes, the texture is different than regular pasta, but for me it is working. And is it high in protein, which is a big plus.
  • mmerry5
    mmerry5 Posts: 69 Member
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    I buy Fiber Gourmet pasta. Love it. It's nearly half the calories with lots more fiber and protein and tastes very much like regular pasta. There is a very slight difference in texture in some of the shapes, but it's still delicious. I really like their elbows and rotini. The spaghetti is good, but not as good as the Elbows. I prefer regular lasagna noodles, but for the calorie savings, I use fiber gourmet a lot. It's more expensive than regular, but worth it to me.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,267 Member
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    whmscll wrote: »
    Whole wheat pasta. Has tons of fiber and you get full with less. Plus overall healthier.

    Whole wheat macaroni USDA UPC 767387556093: 180 cals per 2 oz dry, 6g fiber, 7g protein.
    Macaroni, enriched USDA UPC 041512101304: 210 calories per 2 oz dry, 2g fiber, 7g protein.

    The enriched one has slightly more micronutrients, but not by much.

    Dramatic difference?

    I like the WW better on taste, I admit, and ate a good bit of it back when I was obese, to "fill out a meal".

    I rarely eat either white or whole wheat pasta these days, because I don't find it all that yummy or satiating personally (others may) and the amount of nutrients (especially protein) is too low for the calories for me (I'm vegetarian, BTW). I do use some of the legume pastas as mentioned on page 1, but often I just increase what I would've used on top of the pasta, making (say) a tomato-based veggie stew instead of tomato sauce for pasta, and skip the pasta part entirely.

    Others' preferences and dietary situations will differ, for sure.
  • dorbz1961
    dorbz1961 Posts: 1 Member
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    I still enjoy pasta but I now follow the advice to convert it to a resistant carb to increase the fibre and reduce the calories. MFP don’t accommodate this on logging though
    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/carbs-and-cooking?amp

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